


"Bite Me!"  "You're An Acquired Taste."

by hemustbeprettylo_ki, Mynameisnotapastadish



Series: Ereri AUs [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: -Ish, Alternate Universe - Tokyo Ghoul, Character's Name Spelled as Jaeger, Eren And Armin Suffer From Negligent Guardian Syndrome, Eren Is a Little Shit, Eren is in Denial, Erwin Has One Arm, Eventual Smut, Ghoul Erwin, Ghoul Hange, Ghoul Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Ghoul Sex, Kenny Ackerman Being an Asshole, Levi Is Done With Erwin's Shit, Levi Is a Fucking Drag Queen, M/M, Mikasa Ackerman & Levi Are Siblings, Mikasa Is So Done, Nonbinary Hange Zoë, Oblivious Eren Yeager, Protective Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Sassy Armin Arlert, Sassy Eren Yeager, Slow Burn, grisha Jaeger's A+ parenting, why is that not a tag, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-04-20 17:14:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14265819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hemustbeprettylo_ki/pseuds/hemustbeprettylo_ki, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mynameisnotapastadish/pseuds/Mynameisnotapastadish
Summary: Trost ~ the place where people’s dreams come to die. Honestly, you’d have better luck finding an interesting culture in the bottom of a three year old yoghurt pot. So, of course, this is the town that I’ve been stuck in for the past fifteen years. Why we had to move here after mom died, I’ll never know. I’ve never understood any of my father’s decisions anyway ~ especially the one to move abroad after I graduated high school. Without me.Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if dad had taken me with him instead of abandoning me in the middle of arse crack nowhere. Maybe I wouldn't currently be elbows deep inside a random person's torso, questioning my entire existence.~~~~~This is an Attack On Titan and Tokyo Ghoul crossover-ish. Characters within AoT have essentially become parallels with characters in Tokyo Ghoul - the story does not contain characters from Tokyo Ghoul, just their AoT counterparts. This was written by myself and the wonder Mynameisnotapastadish, so go check her out!





	1. God Beat Me Til I Passed Out.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: We sadly do not own the rights to Attack on Titan or Tokyo Ghoul. This is a product of our own imaginations.

Have you ever lain in one position for too long and eventually you’re overcome by the sensation of a million tiny needles pressing against your skin from the inside? Well that’s kinda how I feel right now, lying paralysed in the middle of an alleyway in a steadily growing puddle of my own blood. Why am I paralysed I hear you ask? That’s because I can currently see the ground through my stomach, assholes. And unless you’ve had to hold your own organs inside your abdomen you can’t fault my inability to function proactively – not that I’m great at functioning regardless of whether my torso could be used as a window.

     I suppose it could worse. I could be the dude probably on his way to being very dead and currently being crushed by a metric fuckton of steel that decided to fall from the fucking sky…or maybe it was the building beside us, which happened to be under construction and covered in scaffolding but I like to think the big guy upstairs was looking out for me. Bit too little and maybe a little too late but the sentiment was there so…thanks…I guess? Maybe he could have intervened before I turned into some freak’s dinner instead of leaving me here to slowly drain like a colander of spaghetti, but I suppose this is better than slowly being eaten alive. By a very thin margin. A very. Thin. Margin.

 

“Well shit, this is a problem.” Where the fuck did that voice come from?

“Thanks, dick, your input is appreciated.” Shit shouldn’t have said that. Maybe I shouldn’t insult the person who might just save my life. Although, seeing as most of my blood is currently re-enacting a Jackson Pollock painting on the really _quite_ disgusting alley floor, I figured what the hell? I mean I am dying, can’t fault me for being a little salty right now.

“If you don’t want to go to a hospital that’s fine, I can just keep on walking, makes no difference to me.” Seriously, where the fuck is the voice coming from? I know it’s a guy…maybe it’s Mr Higher Power himself come to rip me a new one (again) for criticising his actions, ~~or lack thereof.~~

“God,” I ventured weakly. The man, wherever the fuck he was, snorted.

“Fuck I hope not otherwise all my sexual encounters may count as incest.”

“This is not a great last conversation topic-,” The rest of my reply was cut off by the inconvenient need to cough. This resulted in a _delicious_ spray of blood erupting from my mouth _(please note the sarcasm and don’t try this at home)._

“Your blood is on my boot.”

“Oh would you like me to lick it off, All Mighty Overlord?” Jesus fucking Christ - I'm literally dying and all this guy cares about is his fucking boot, well, I know where he can shove his boot...

“Seeing as your tongue is coated in blood also, I don’t think that would be the most effective option. But if you survive, I’ll gladly take you up on the offer.” I frowned. That voice. It seemed so familiar.

“Hey, don’t I know you?” The man seemed to hesitate if the hitch in his breath was any indication.

“Everyone knows God, kid.” I blinked slowly; fuck blood in your eyes really stings.

"Huh, I guess s-"

 

       Pain exploded in my temple as a force that felt like a brick connected with my head. _The fuck?_ My head span, vision blurring more if that was even possible. Burst of colour floated behind my eyelids as a pained whimper hissed through my clenched teeth.

“The fuck is your head made out of, kid?”

“Wha-,”

The force smacked into my face again. This time my vision died and a strangled scream was ripped from my throat. The world seemed to fade around me and an incessant buzzing began in my ears, kinda like Jean every. Single. Day. I blinked sluggishly, trying to fight off the desire to just shut my eyes and sleep. A masked face appeared above me and two silver eyes stared down at me passively.

Those eyes were the last thing I saw as I was pulled under, and the dark embrace of unconsciousness swallowed me.


	2. Bright Eyes, Burning Like Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren wakes up

The next time I opened my eyes, I was momentarily convinced that I’d lost the gift of sight altogether; all I could comprehend was a blur of clinical white, paired with an odd beeping from beside me. Was this Heaven? If so, I’d like to request a full refund ~ I’m sure that eternal enlightenment shouldn’t smell of toilet bleach and burnt coffee. But hey? What would I know; I just spent my evening as a literal snack. And not the fun kind. 

       As my gaze adjusted to the intimidating LED lights above, I tried to recover my memories of last night’s events after I was hole-punched by what appeared to be a tentacle. I’d never really been interested in hentai, and now I’m certain that I never want to explore it. Ever. It’s not what those animated girls crack it up to be, let me tell you.

 

So…I was lying on the floor watching my blood spill out, I was questioning the methods of our supposed ‘Lord and Saviour’, and then…there was someone else. Right? A man who enjoyed pointing out the obvious. I may have assumed that he was God incarnate? Fucking Hell, I was really out of my mind, huh? Nevermind, I’ll blame it on the blood loss.

 

“Hey Sleeping Beauty. Decided to join the rest of the world?” A perky voice spoke up from somewhere out of my line of sight (albeit, my line of sight was questionable right now). It didn’t matter ~ I’d recognise that voice anywhere. Even if I did happen to be in a hundred year-long sleep.

“You’re hilarious, Armin.” I replied, shocked at how pathetically raspy my voice actually was. Thankfully, my best friend seemed to read this as a silent plea for help and held a glass of water close enough for me to reach the straw without moving. And fuck, I was thirstier than I anticipated, and honestly not just for water if ya’ know what I mean.

“You’re a blessing and I love you.”

“I know ~ honestly, you’d die without me…” he trailed off, and I didn’t have to see his expression to know it would be one of guilt, “Sorry, too soon.”

“Nah don’t worry about it, what’s life without a few near death experiences?” I reassured, finally managing to turn my head enough to catch a glimpse of that majestic blonde coconut~ otherwise known as Armin Arlert.

“A good one, Eren. A good one.” 

“I dunno Arm, I was having a great time.” To be perfectly honest the day I’d been attacked was brilliant. I’d spent most of it doing classwork and reading at my favourite cafe and totally not staring at the really hot waiter who went by the name of Levi and was almost always clad in heeled ankle boots (sometimes thigh high leather boots which fucking killed me) and eyeliner so sharp I wanted to cut myself on it.  _ And breathe.  _

“What, great because you spent the day before you were brutally attacked and nearly murdered, ogling the hot waiter? Who, by the way, you have only actually spoken to once in your entire desperately pining existence?” Armin stated flatly, not even looking up from what I assumed was a medical textbook but looked more like a medieval tome than anything I’d ever seen.

“Well shit Arm, why you gotta call me out like this? You cut deep, you really do.” 

“But you’re not denying that it's the truth.” He countered matter-of-factly and, like pretty much every other situation since the blossoming of our friendship, I couldn't prove him wrong. 

I was unable to complete my daily dose of self depreciation, however, as I was hit with the most mouth watering smell. Like nothing I’d ever known yet also so comfortable and familiar. Fuck, I hadn't even realised how hungry I was ~ maybe getting your guts scrambled like a pan of eggs fucked up your appetite. 

Gaping at my best friend in the whole wide fucking world, it hit me that he was the source of that scent that was making it difficult to even think coherently. 

Suddenly I was seeing him in a new light. And the more that I thought about it, the more ravenous I became. Like he was a nine course meal in an adorable blond package..that smell..it was so fucking good. Honestly though I wasn’t even going to try and deny the fact that Armin’s ass was fucking delicious and I had briefly entertained thoughts of eating it when I’d gone through my bout of self-discovery aged 15 and surprise! I'm here, queer, and certainly about to make it clear because holy shit, licking Armin’s cheekbones is definately now on my bucket list.

“Well, I mean ~ umm..I mean...no, what I mean to say is..” Wow I wasn’t usually this bad at stringing sentences together ~ I mean, I'm certainly no Shakespeare but I can usually manage more than a four word vocabulary. I’m blaming the cocktail of drugs currently being pumped into my system via the IV in my arm. I’d probably ask Mr Medical Student about what pain meds I was on if I actually gave a fuck or had the slightest chance of understanding the words that would come out of Armin’s mouth. 

 

“Hmmm,” Was his only reply and his cutting blue gaze said more than enough before almost immediately returning to the the textbook in his hands. It was still a pretty horrifying seven seconds; honestly, I pity whoever underestimates him. He may be tiny, he may be adorable, but he was seriously terrifying when he wanted to be.

Wait- my brain hasn't completely abandoned me ~ well, at least it's returned for a split second to provide me with a halfway decent comeback.

“Says the person who has the hots for the other dude who works there with a permanent stick up his ass, what’s his name again? Gene, John?”

_ Nailed it. _

“It’s  _ Jean _ ,” Armin stressed, throwing a sharp glare my way.

_ Shit, didn’t think this through. I forgot that my best friend is a criminal mastermind in training.  _

“But because I’m a good friend and you're higher than Connie at prom right now, I’m going to forget you ever insinuated anything.” Armin hissed, and I would have never brought the subject up again had a telltale flush not appeared on his cheekbones that looked like they could fucking cut diamonds. So instead I played it up, blinking sluggishly and nodding with what I hoped was a dopey grin on my face whilst I mentally stored away Armin’s reaction and resolved to later play matchmaker. I'm not sure who I was even kidding, considering I haven't held a stable relationship in...ever. However Armin is not only more sociable than me, he's also impossible not to love. Despite the fact that I got past my little crush on him years ago, it  was an indisputable fact that whoever Armin loved was a lucky son of a bitch. 

Not to mention that he smelled  _ really fucking good.  _ I was at a total loss for how I'd never noticed that my closest companion could be confused with a Parisian bakery before, but honestly all I could think about was how good that scent would  _ taste _ . How heavenly it would be to sink my teeth into something so soft...to  _ devour _ such a pure thing.

 

_ Well, that was an odd thought. _

 

“Eren!”

 

“Wh- Yeah, I'm here..I'm- hello..” Way to sound like a functioning human, Eren, hit the nail on the fucking head with that one.

“God, you really are out of it. I was just saying that visiting hours are almost over, but I'll be back early tomorrow morning.” He repeated with the patience of a saint. But the news of him leaving me left a sour taste at the back of my throat. I didn’t want to be alone, not now, not after nearly dying and having ‘who-knows-what-the-fuck’ happen to me. It’s at times like this when I was so fucking glad for Armin’s apparent ability to read minds as the beautiful blonde coconut boy smiled softly (fucking hell why is he so attractive) and said, “If you want I guess I could stay, that chair beside you turns into a bed.” Sweet Jesus, I love Armin, he is now my god and I will worship him daily. “Thanks Eren, that means a lot.” 

…

 

“Did I say that out loud?”

“Yes, yes you did.”

“Oh.

“Yeah,” Looking at Armin he did look incredibly tired and less like his usual self, I could see the strain on his face and I instantly felt a little guilty considering it was technically my fault. Well I mean it could have been the ghoul's fault but like I did get lost somehow so the blame does fall on me a little, but more on the ghoul cause yanno, dude tried to fucking _eat_ me.

“Hey you know what?” 

“What,” Armin asked, stifling a yawn.

“I think I’ll be okay tonight Arm, you can go home, get some rest, drink tea, fantasise about Jean, whatever it is you do when I’m not there.” Ignoring Armin’s deadpan glare, I smiled sweetly at him, hoping it’d soften him up a little. He sighed and dropped his head down.

“I guess I could use a little more sleep.”

“Yeah no kidding my dude, you could sell those bags under your eyes at Gucci, now go home and get some rest.” Armin levelled a frankly terrifying glare at me but he seemed to lose some tension in his shoulders as he heaved out a sigh.

“I guess so, I’ll see you tomorrow.” I could hear his bones creak as he got up and leaned over to squeeze my shoulder. Armin shuffled out of the room slowly, calling a goodnight over his shoulder and taking away that delicious smell of baked goodies. Damn. 

     The door shut and I flopped back into my mountain of pillows behind my head. Fuck, where had those urges come from? And what did they mean?


	3. I Done Fucked Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren fucks up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY FOR THE ABSENCE!  
> things havent really been great for the last year but I swear we didn't mean to leave it this long its just a levels are a lot and i am not coping well (hemustbeprettyloki not mynameisnotapastadish)  
> but i am back and with brand new chapter wow! other works will be updated soon since i now have some free time but yh, enjoy!

The ache seemed to resonate deep in my bones, muscles crying out in desperation; sweat was trickling down my back and sticking my t-shirt to my skin like some form of organic post-it note. I could do this..I could do this..

I _could_ make it up these _fucking demon_ stairs.

Honestly though, why my father had to select the only apartment complex in the city with no elevator, I would never know. And I know what you’re thinking, you’re thinking, _‘Eren, it’s just a few flights of stairs, I’m sure it can’t possibly be that bad’_ , and to that I say..fuck you, it’s not you doing it. I could blame it on the fact that my organs had recently been scrambled up like a pan of eggs, but honestly I’d never placed that much importance in athleticism (not that I placed too much in academics either).

It took a lot of perseverance, and probably way longer than a somewhat healthy male should take, but I did eventually make it up to my home sweet home (sarcasm duly noted). And, of course, my wonderfully considerate and overprotective best friend had left me a care package of food; a mixture of my personal favourites, and a few healthier options sprinkled in because, and I quote, ‘ _You can’t live off a diet of instant noodles and chocolate milk, Eren_ ’ (to that I say, fucking watch me, Armin). Maybe it was just because I’d recently been released from hospital, maybe it’s because I’d just almost died trekking up the several flights of stairs ~ and no I’m not exaggerating ~ but none of it looked particularly appetising. It wasn’t that I wasn’t hungry, because believe me I was, I just couldn’t imagine eating any of this food without instantaneously throwing up.

The same problem had been plaguing me since I first woke up in the hospital. I’d get hungry to the point where I could literally hear my stomach growling for some form of sustenance, yet whatever the nurses brought up for me, I just couldn’t seem to stomach it. It was like someone had reached into my brain and switched up the wires for all my senses until I couldn’t even recognise something as food anymore.

And the weirdest thing...the thing that I couldn’t even bring myself to think about for more than a moment was that only one thing had seemed appetising to me for the entire hospital stay..and that one thing was my closest friend. His scent seemed to haunt me, taunting my dreams and lingering in my memories enough to make my stomach physically ache. The concept of sinking my teeth into him had flared up more than once, only to be quickly shaken out of my thoughts and shoved away into the darker recesses of my mind.

_I was going fucking crazy.._

If I’m aware that these intrusive thoughts are insane, then that means I’m not a psychopath, right? At least I know that cannibalism is cuckoo fucking bananas and frowned upon in most societies, and therefore I would definitely never actually act on these urges. But it’s still incredibly unsettling to go from stuffing your face with Oreos and ramen noodles to wanting to literally _eat_ someone.

I once again pushed the thoughts out of my brain, my lips turning up in the same soft smile that was typically reserved for Armin as I picked up the grocery bag and let myself into the apartment. Even after my little near death experience, my father didn’t deem it necessary to pop in and check how his son was doing, and honestly I can’t say I was surprised. I also can’t say I particularly wanted to see him ~ it certainly wouldn’t make me feel any better.

However, the sight of the empty apartment, still in the exact same condition it had been on the night of my little dance with death, was more than a little depressing. I knew that if I called Armin then and there, he would show up at my door as soon as he physically could, yet I didn’t quite trust myself around him right now. And that was even more depressing. The most I could do to soften the harsh isolation of the place was switch on the TV, more for the background noise than anything else.

“Dinner for one then, I guess..” I mumbled to myself, not lingering too long on how pitiful my self-commentary was as I took the food bag through to the kitchen and began putting stuff away. Despite the fact that none of it had suddenly become appetising, I knew that I’d have to attempt to eat something eventually and decided that a plain looking sandwich would be the least offensive to my suddenly sensitive taste buds.

Oh, how wrong I was.

It took a matter of moments for the seemingly inoffensive sandwich to shoot straight back up my esophagus, and I only just got to the sink in time to avoid painting my kitchen a relatively off putting shade of chunky beige. Whilst it was unpleasant, I wasn’t overly worried; I’d just returned from the hospital, I most likely wouldn’t feel like myself for a few weeks. That’s probably where all of these crazy thoughts about Armin were coming from too ~ the human mind was a total mystery sometimes, and sitting here worrying about it whilst alone and on pretty strong pain meds wouldn’t be the smartest idea (I know I don’t pride myself on my common sense, but it has its moments)

 

_‘Ghouls can’t physically digest regular food like you and I; not only does their body reject the food, their taste buds work differently. Our food tastes incredibly foul to them..’_

 

The voice rang through the living room as if directly aimed at me, instantly drawing my attention and stealing all the air from my chest. It’s just a coincidence, it’s just an unfortunate coincidence that I’d been rejecting food, craving the delectable flesh of my best friend, the increase of thoughts about the hot barista at _Tirnes des Ailes,_ wait no, that’s pretty standard at this point honestly. What can I say, the boy looks good in a white collar and black tie and that _fucking_ arm garter.

 

No, getting off topic, fucking focus Jaeger (why did that sound like Jean?) It’s coincidence not correlation, me not being able to stomach a sandwich is not indicative of me becoming a flesh eating monster. Is it even possible to become a ghoul? They’re a whole other species, they’re born, not turned like zombies or vampires.

I am not a ghoul. I am _not_ a ghoul. I am _not_ a _ghoul._

This is ridiculous, it’s stupid, it makes no sense, but for some reason my legs are moving of their own accord. I’m suddenly standing in the kitchen and scrambling through the cupboards. I need to eat something, anything, everything. I have to prove to myself how stupid this entire ordeal is.

Oreos. Nobody can say no to the ingenious combination of crispy cookie and soft cream, right? They’re a tried and true favourite, they’ll clear this mess up so I can continue with my sad monologue about the empty apartment and how I’ll _never_ work up the courage to ask the super cute coffee guy on a date because he’s not just out of my league, we’re not even playing the same game. Seriously, it’s like he’s playing rugby and I’m doing that weird shit where you have to sweep the ice with a broom and get that rock in a circle or something (what even is that?).

_Getting off track again, Jaeger._

Right..yes..okay, just gotta eat this Oreo and prove that I haven’t magically become a human munching demon ~ God, when did my life get this weird? I took my time, kind of preparing myself, taking deep breaths and all that crap. I open my mouth, I take a bite, and it obviously just tastes like…

Absolute shit.

Yes, you heard me correctly; the _Oreo_ tasted like _shit_. I mean, as close as one can assume something tastes like shit whilst having never eaten shit (Thank God for that, right? What a silver lining). Even the texture seemed different~ much too dry, and the cream oozed around my teeth like congealed milk, coating my tongue in an absolutely revolting flavour that I can’t even describe.

Needless to say, that didn’t stay down long, and my sink got to play another round of guess the chunk.

This still didn’t mean anything, none of this was conclusive, or even made any fucking sense. I was just having a bad day..I was just..

 

The next ten minutes saw my poor kitchen sink get showered with a combination of instant noodles, leftover pizza, a variety of potato snacks, and a solitary orange. My throat was raw, and I was surprised it wasn’t bleeding. My eyes streamed with tears from gagging, the liquid going cold and crusty on my cheeks as I slumped on the floor and tried to stop myself from throwing up my organs. This is crazy..I’m crazy..

What if I _am_ a ghoul..? What would I do then? Kill myself..starve myself..lock myself in this apartment to slowly rot away? To continue living..just isn’t an option for me if I’ve become one of the monsters we warn kids to run away from~ one of the creatures that takes pleasure in murdering humans and..and _eating_ them. I would never be able to see Armin again, I would never have a normal future. And even though I was certain that I resented my father, the idea that I could never even _try_ to patch things up with him..it didn’t seem real. How could I possibly go on living knowing that to do so would be to become a murderer..to leave everything I’ve ever known behind?

 

‘ _Regular steel is completely useless against a ghoul; only the specific quinque steel designed by CCG scientists will pierce the skin of a ghoul’_

 

That’s it..that’s exactly what I have to do. If I have become a ghoul, then the only way to know is to try and harm myself with regular steel. If it doesn’t work..then I’ll know for certain what I am~ that I am not a monster. Eren Jaeger refuses to be a monster.

My legs carried me faster than my brain could keep up, and then my hands frantically yanked open the cutlery drawer and searched for what they knew I wanted. The manic gleam in my eye reflected on the shining surface of the largest kitchen knife I owned, though the sight of my expression didn’t deter me as it should have. It only spurred me on. I had to know..I had to know. I had to know.

I pulled the hem of my shirt up with one hand, biting down on it to hold it in place as I wielded the knife with both hands. And both of them trembled like crazy, not out of fear of pain but fear of the opposite. Fear of feeling nothing at all when this knife was plunged down into my abdomen.

_Breathe..one..two..._

  


The sound of clattering against the kitchen tile had my eyes shooting open, widening in fear and realisation at the sight of the handle still clutched desperately in my hands, and the blade gleaming up at me from the floor..

And my completely unmarred skin somehow staring back at me

 

\----

 

I think when I really started going crazy was a few hours after I’d tried to stab myself with a kitchen knife. And not the type of crazy you’d expect, like identity crisis and mental breakdown kinda crazy. No, I was going insane over only one specific thing; my stomach.

I’d never been in such intense hunger pain in my entire life, and I’d been stuck at summer camp for a whole month after Sasha had eaten all the food. It was almost like being repeatedly stabbed with a blade (though, ironically, I wouldn’t know what the sensation felt like despite my best efforts a few minutes prior).

 

_Wait.._

 

 _What_ was that _smell_?

 

It was almost as if a hook attached itself to my navel and was tugging me slowly towards my apartment door. I was powerless to resist this siren’s song, the aroma so familiar to me yet so unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.  I was trapped in my own body, unable to stop my hand reaching out and unlocking my door, my feet dragged over rough carpet as I stumbled out of my apartment and began the long descent down the stairs.

The dying rays of the setting sun stung my eyes, but I barely noticed. It was like I could see a tangible trail of red smoke, leading in winding paths down the dark alleys around my building. Where they lead to, I have no idea, but you can bet your ass I was gonna find out, no matter the consequences.

The red trail, now that I thought about it, was weirdly pulsing and looked kinda like blood, and when I thought even harder...I probably shouldn’t have followed the strange red light that the regular pedestrians dotting my way didn’t seem to notice and walked straight through.   The trail got stronger, the faint light emitting from it even brighter and the heady scent of whatever I was following flooded my senses. A strange sensation prickled in the skin under my eyes, but that was barely noticed as my mouth suddenly flooded with saliva and a burning hunger rolled in my stomach, causing the poor thing to let out a colossal growl that echoed around the alley I had entered.  

 

I swerved round the corner. My eyes fell on a strangely ominous-looking  lump on the dirty floor, with a person crouched over the middle, tearing something away with a rip that sounded like pulling sellotape.  

I belatedly noticed the sticky liquid coating the stone cobbles at my feet, my shoes squelching with every step.

 

_What_

_The_

_Fuck_

 

I stepped closer, the dim street lights illuminating what I had thought was nothing consequential, yet what now was turning out to be either some kinky underground shit I was unaware of, or murder. Well. That was unexpected. Because the lump wasn’t a lump, it was a fucking body (boy, was I wrong to think this would be a regular outing).

 The figure crouched over the _fucking body_ suddenly shot up to face me. Blood dripped down their chin, the viscous liquid covered their entire front (someone was a messy eater). Their irises burned crimson against a dark background. They shoved the slab of person they had ripped off, into their mouth, swallowing it down in one gulp - Jesus, did this dude have a detachable jaw.  Holy mother of God, they’re a Ghoul, a real-life fucking Ghoul. Of course I hadn’t picked up on this until they had guzzled the piece of human they held in an iron grip, but semantics.

 

“Hey,” The Ghoul called out, getting to slightly unsteady feet, I gulped, half-prepared to sprint back to my apartment and die of hunger instead.  “You hungry,” The Ghoul was older, grizzled grey with age and slightly hunched over. He reached down and ripped off another piece of human, offering the bloody strip of meat out to me.

 I moved as if on auto-pilot, shuffling as if in a trance towards the other Ghoul. My hand outstretched as I got closer and closer, drool dribbling down my chin as the glorious scent of fresh blood rolled over me.

 

_SLAM!_

 

A brutal force knocked into my from the back, sending my body flying down the alleyway. I hit the grimy wall with a crack of brick (thank fuck it wasn’t my bones) and a shower of brick dust rained down over my body.

 Coughing and hacking, I tried to draw the breathe back into my lungs. I looked up at the Ghoul who had been offering me the flesh, just in time to see a beam of red slice his torso in two. For a second nothing changed until slowly the top half of his body separated with a wet _snick_ and flopped onto the floor, his lower body following seconds later. My mind cleared and I open my mouth, a scream gurgling in the back of my throat but before I could shriek and alert any passers by of what was happening, a figure suddenly appeared in front of me and slapped a hand over my mouth, muffling my shouts for help.

The person was strong, freakishly so, and they pushed me back against the wall, my breath once again being forced out with a huff, one booted foot resting threateningly close to the ‘family jewels’ so to speak. Wait a minute...

I narrowed my eyes, not able to see anything under the darkness of the hood the person wore and the vaguely visible mask covered their eyes with only slits to see out of but the boots...I knew those boots. They were slightly scuffed and worn with a band of spikes around one ankle and at least a five inch block heel with a small platform and bright yellow laces. “ _Levi_ ,” I tried to say although it probably just sound like “ _eehi_ ,” considering his hand was covering my mouth.

The person reeled back, a hissing sound emerged from behind the mask as the assailant I know knew to be Levi, the hot waiter from _Tirnes des Ailes_ who was the constant cause of any and all of my gay panics and sole reason why I bought the short tartan skirt that I have never worn because if Levi can say fuck you to gender roles then so can I.

Levi seemed to debate internally before he growled and pulled back the hood obscuring his silky raven hair and slowly pulled the elegant fox mask off, revealing chiseled cheekbones, slanted grey eyes and a veritable fuck ton of facial piercings _holy shit I’m gay._ The only thing that stopped me from smiling and beginning my awkward routine of flirting but kinda not was the look of indescribably fury set into his handsome face.

“I am going to give you a minute to explain what the fuck you are doing here Jaeger and if you try and bullshit your way out of this I will fuck you up so badly you’ll be shitting blood for weeks.” Levi darted forwards, grabbed me by the front of my shirt and glared down at me, his lips set into a vicious snarl, piercings glinting in the dim streetlight. I chuckled nervously, trying not to stare at his lips,

“Er yeah okay, so about that…”

  



End file.
